Safety device



SAFETY DEVICE W. W. CARSON. JR

Filed July lO, 1924 Feb. 2 6, 1929.

Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

i UNITED .stares i l1,703,813 PATENT OFFICE.

WILELAI w. cansan, en ,oE xNOxvILm, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGN- Y MENTS, To THE FULTON SYLPION comuni, or KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, A

CORPORATION OEDELAWARE,

Y SAFETY Application mea Ymy 1o,

This inventionrelates to safety devices and, while capable of a variety of uses, is of particular utility when employed with burners using a liquid fuel.

5 It is customary to supply burners employing a liquid fuel with fluid under pressure, such as air, to atomize the fuel for to assist in supporting combustionor both. If `the flow of fluid under pressure stops `for any reason, such for instance as may occur if the motor ofthe air compressor stops, the continuing flow of the fuel will cause the Hooding of the burner, with the resultant danger of fire vor even explosion. lTo overcome t iis difficulty it has been proposed to connect a valve in the fuel line directl to a diaphragm subjected to the pressure o the air or other fluid flowing to the burner, so that the diaphragm will hold the fuel valve open solong as the fluid pressure is maintained but permit the fuel valve to close when there is a predetermined drop in said pressure. *Devices of this type, however, possess Lthe' grave disad- V vantage that the fuel valve will be opened immediately that the fluid pressure is restored, so that unless the attendant is present to light the burner immediately, there is a likelihood of flooding the burner with the resultant danger of fire or explosion. To avoid thislatter fuel valve with a weighted lever and to rovide the diaphragm subjected to the uid pressure with a detent to cooperate with said lever and hold the fuel valve o en while the fluid pressure is maintained, t e fuel valve beingV released by the diaphragm-actuated detent upon a predetermined decrease in said pressure, in which case thefuel valve can be opened onlyby manual resetting of the device. But devices of this latter character as heretofore proposed also possess serious defects and disadvantages among the more important of which may be noted the difficulty of resetting the weighted lever .against the pressure on the diaphragm when the u'id pressure has been restored, the short life of Ythe device under the rough usage and oper.-

ating conditions to which such devices are subjected, the complexity and costliness of construction employed, etc. y p

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved safety device of the typeunder consideration wherein the fuel valve is released by the actuation of a detent upon a difliculty, itV has been proposed to provide the DEVICE 1924. aerial No. 725,285.

predetermined decrease in ,-pressure, and whereinthe fuel valve can be reopened only by a manual resetting of the device, which avoids the defects and `difficulties of structures of this character heretofore proposed;

which permits of resetting of the device without moving any of the parts against the 'pressure of the air or other fluid; andV which is capable of withstanding vfor long periods the rough usage and operating conditions t which such devices are subjected.

A further object of this invention is to provide a' safety device of the-type Vunder consideration which may be readily adjusted beexpressly understood that the drawing is for'purposes of illustration only and is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for thatpurpose;

The accompanying drawing shows an elevation, partly in section, of a safet device for liquid-fuel burnersembodying t e vpresent invention. p

In the form shown, 1 designates a valve housing of any suitable construction adapted to be interposed in a line for conveying fuel to a burner. Within this valve housing is a valve 2 of anyl suitable construction provided with a valve stem 3 vwhich carries a clevis 4, attached thereto in any suitable way.V l

Mounted on or adjacent to said valve housing'in any suitable Way is a frame 5 Whiclnat its upper end 6, is enlarged to receive the pressure responsive device to be described. Fulcrumed on said frame at 7 is a 'lever 8 which projects through the slot of the clevis 4 and is pivotally attached to said clevis as by a pin 9. Said lever projects outwardly from the frame 5. to any suitable extent and on its outer end carries an adjustable Weight 10 which may be retained .against displacement on the lever 8 in any suitable way as b y a. set screw 11. The weight l() tends to swing the lever 8 about its fulcrum 7 and thereby,

vto conform withthe `'fluidpressure to be em- 'l through the` connection of said lever to the Aclevis 4 land valve stem 3, tends to move the Y valve 2 to closed position. While a weighted lever has been shown `for closing the valve,

however, it is to be expressly understood that a spring or any other suitable device may be employed instead. i

To retain the valve 2 in open position a detent 12 is pivoted on the frame at 13 and cooperationy with a pin projecting from has one end formed to provide a latch 14 for the lever 8. The .opposite end 16 of the detent -12 is designed to cooperate with a pin 17 `Said stem 18 is connected in any suitable way to a plate 19 which is suitably attached to orcontacts with the movable end wall 20 ot an expansible and collapsible chamber 21.

' Said expansible and collapsible chamber may be oi .any suitable construction but ispre'l era-bly composed of a iiexible corrugated t u bular wall 22 of anysuitable material, such as a resilient metal, closed at its opposite ends by rigid end walls 20 and 23. To reduce the volume of said chamber 21 the end wall;20 is preferably made reentrant Vas illustrated. The opposite end wall 23otl said chamber is held in fixed position in any suitable way, be ing shown as provided with a hub 24 which projects through an aperture in the removablecap 25 of theupper portion ot the frame and iixedly clamped against said cap 25 by a nut 26 threaded onto the projecting end of said hub.V .The interior of said chamber 21 is suitably connected with the system for supplying air or otheruid to the burner, as by a passage 27 in the hub 24, and elbow 28.

To predetermine the pressure which must exist in the chamber 21 in order that said chamber shall be expanded, means are provided tor opposing the expansion ot said chamber and, in order to provide for diilereut conditions of operation, said means is preterably'made adjustable. vlVhile any suitable means for opposing expansion ofthe chamber 21 may be employed, the form illustrated includesa coil. spring 29 which surrounds the stem 18 and bears upon and is centered by the plate 19 connected to Vor in contact with the movableC end wall 2O of said chamber. The opposite endof said spring 29 bears against a Vplate 30 which constitutes an abutment for said spring. To provide for variably tensioning'said spring 29, said plate 30 cooperates with a nut 31 threaded on to an elongated sleeve 32 which surrounds and preferably forms a guide for the stem 18, said .sleeve 32 being mounted in any suitable way in a crossbrace of the frame 5, 6. The nut 31 is preferably provided with spanner wrench holes 434,and may be loc-lied in adjusted position by a set screw 34. To reduce friction between said Anut and Yplate 30 aball-bearing 35 may be in- Vterposed as illustrated. rllhe upper end of said sleeve 32 may, if desired, constitute a stop for the expansion of the'chamber 21, or as illustrated, saidsleeve-maybe provided with an Vadjustable extension 36, which may be retained in adjusted position by a set screw 37,

lar 39 locked in adjusted position by a set screw 40, may also be provided to'prevent nut 31 from being` locked so far down sleeve 32 that thetension ot' spring29 is insufficient to close the valve 2 upon ailureof pressure in chamber 21. I y j j When the fuelY valve is open and air or other fluid underpressure is b eing properly supplied to the burner, the parts are in the position illustrated on thedrawing. VThe pressure in the air line. communicated tothe interior of the chamber 21 holds the latter chamber in expanded -position,against the tension of the spring `29, and the detent 12 has its latch 14 in engagement with the pin 15 von the weighted lever 8 to hold the valve 2 in open position.v In the event of failureot the air supply, or in the event that the pressure of the air drops below the predetermined tension of the spring 29, said spring 29 Acollapses the chamber 21 and moves the plate 19 to pull the stem 18`upwardly as viewed on the drawing. Thismovement of the' stem 18 causes the pin 17 carriedthereby to actuate the detent 12 and withdraw the latch 14 from engagement with the pin 15, whereupon the lever 8 falls under the influence of its weight 10, moving Vthe valve stem 3 to close the valve 2. TVhen the Vpressure of the airis restored to the chamber 21, said chamber expands vuntil the nipple 38 on the movable plate l19, connected toor in contact with the movable end wall 2() of said chamben-engages the threaded stem 32 or its adjustable extension 36, and stem 18 is thereby moved downwardly as viewed in thedrawing. This movement of the stem 18, however,

is incapable of opening the valve 2 To open the valve 2 the weighted lever 8 must be swung llt) manually around its fulcrum 7, and lmay then be .locked in openposition by the detent 12 provided the air pressure has previously expanded the chamber 21 so that thedetent 12 may engage its latch 14 with the pin 15. This defects and diiculties of the devices of this type heretofore suggested. The fuel valve is promptly closed upon the failure of or a predetermined decrease of pressure in the air v supply, and the return of the air pressure will not reopen the fuel valve in the absence of a manual resett-ing, while this manual resetting Vof the' device is accomplished without moving any of the parts against the pressure of the air or other fluid.' `Means have also been provided whereby the device may be easily set so as to be operated upon any desired drop in the pressure. Moreover, the

device is simple and rugged in construction Y so that it occupies little space, is easy to install and adjust, is inexpensive tomanufacture and maintain, is durable against the rough `usage and operating conditions to which such devices are subjected, and is certain and eicient in operation.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a devicefor operating a fuel valve upon failure of or a predetermined decrease of pressure in the air supply, it is to be expresslyiunderstood that the invention is not limited thereto, as it is capable of a. wide variety of uses wherein the operation of an elementis to be determined by variations of pressure. invention illustrated on the drawing has been described with considerable particularity, itV

is expressly understood that the invention is not restricted thereto, as the same is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, some of which will now readily suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art, while changes may be made. in the detail of construction, arrangement and proportion of parts, and certain features used without other features, without departing from the spirit of this invention Reference is therefore to be had to the claims hereto appendedfor a f definition of the limits of said invention.

What is claimed is 1.y Ina safety device for burners, in comhina-tion with a -fuel valve, means normall tending to close said Valve, a detent for'holt a stem extending axially from said vessel Y,

Also, while the embodiment of the toward said valve andhaving means cooperating with said detent vwhereby said detent is actuated to releaseV said valve upon a predetermined decrease of the pressure acting on said vessel, permitting said detent to be reset only when pressure is restored at said vessel and having a lost motion connection with said detent whereby said *detent may be reset without movement of said stem, and a spring concentric with said stem and normally tending to urge said stem in a direct-ion to trip said detent. I

2. In a safety device for burners, in combi-A nation with a fuel valve, means normallyv tending to close said valve, a detent for holdinvfsaid valve ino n osition an ex ansible Y and collapsible vessel .Y havingl connections whereby said vessel is subjected to a source Vof pressure, a stem extending from said vessel and having means cooperating with said detent whereby said detent is actuated to re'- Y lease said valve upon a predetermined decrease lof the pressure acting on said vessel,

permitting said detent to be reset only when pressure is restored at said vessel, a vguide for said stem, a spring-,encircling the guide and normally tending to collapse the vessel and trip the detent, an abutment onsaid guide cooperating with said spring and adjustable to regulate the pressure'at which vthe detent will be tripped, and astop for said adjustable abutment adapted to be locked on said guide in position to prevent such a loose adjustment of the spring that it mi ht fail to collapse the vessel and trip the etent.

3. Iii-a safety device for burners, in combination with a fuel valve, means normally tending to close said valve, a detent for holding said valve in open position, an expansible and collapsible vessel alined with said Valve and having connections whereby said vessel is subjected vto alsource of pressure, a stem extending axially from said vessel toward 'loof .1

said valve and having means cooperating with said detent whereby said detent is actuated to release said valve upon a predetermined decrease of the pressure Vacting on said vessel,.permitting said detent to-be resetvonly when pressure is restored at said vessel and having a. lost motion connection with said detent Whereby'said detent may be reset without movement of said stem, a spring concentric with said stem and normally tending to urge said stemv in a direction to trip'said detent, a tubular guide for said stem, and means on said guide for adjusting the'tension of said spring.

Y In testimony whereof I have signed thisv specification.

WILLIAM W. CARSON, R. 

